One in four Australians believe humans co-existed with dinosaurs, while one in three think it takes just one day for the earth to orbit the sun, according to a “worrying” survey published last week.
The Auspoll survey of 1,515 adults for the Australian Academy of Sciences showed that basic scientific knowledge was declining on key questions, including human influences on evolution and the earth’s reserves of fresh water.
Only 59 percent of those surveyed knew that it took the earth one year to orbit the sun, a fall of two percentage points from the same survey three years ago — with 30 percent saying it took just one day.
Photo: Reuters
照片:路透社
Some 27 percent said the earliest humans lived at the same time as the dinosaurs, down from 30 percent in the previous survey, while 70 percent said they knew evolution was currently occurring.
Ten percent said evolution was not occurring, nine percent said they did not believe in evolution and another 12 percent said they were not sure — a similar result to 2010.
“It’s a worrying wake-up call to see scientific literacy declining among young adults, and to a lesser degree among the broader Australian adult population,” said Les Field, secretary for science policy at the academy.
(AFP)
根據一份上週公布、「令人憂心」的調查顯示,有四分之一的澳洲人以為,人類與恐龍曾同時存在,三分之一的澳洲人認為,地球繞太陽公轉只要花一天。
Auspoll為澳洲科學院調查一千五百十五名成年人,發現澳洲人對重要問題的基礎科學知識持續下滑,包括人類對演化的影響,以及地球的淡水存量等。
只有五成九受訪者知道地球繞太陽公轉一周需時一年,比三年前同一調查減少兩個百分點,其中還有三成受訪者認為,地球繞太陽轉一圈只要一天。
約百分之二十七受訪者表示,最早出現的人類曾與恐龍存活在同一時期,少於前次調查的三成;七成受訪者知道演化還在進行。
有一成的人表示目前沒有發生演化,百分之九受訪者不相信演化,另有百分之十二不確定,與二0一0年的調查結果類似。
澳洲科學院的科學政策處長菲爾德表示:「年輕人以及部分澳洲成年人的科學素養每況愈下,是個令人憂心的警訊。」
(法新社/翻譯:陳維真)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
There are several methods to prevent or slow down enzymatic browning in fruit. __3__ This lowers the pH level of the fruit tissue, causing the PPO to be far less active. Another method is to store the fruit in an airtight container or to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Doing this will reduce its exposure to oxygen. __4__ Although fruit that has undergone enzymatic browning may look less appealing, it is still safe to eat. However, by using one of these simple methods, you can enjoy fresh-looking fruit for a longer period. 有一些方法能避免或減緩水果的酶促褐變。其中一個有效的方式就是在切片水果的表面塗上酸性物質,像是檸檬汁或醋。這樣做能降低水果組織的酸鹼值,讓 PPO 更不為活躍。另一個方式是將水果存放在密封的容器內,或用保鮮膜將其緊緊包住。這樣做會減少水果與氧氣的接觸。快速蒸一下切片水果或將其短暫浸泡在滾水中也能使PPO失去活性,並終止 PPO 與空氣的作用。 雖然經歷酶促褐變的水果可能看起來較不吸引人,但仍然可以安全食用。然而,藉由採用這些簡單方法中的其中一個,你就能在更長的一段時間享用看起來新鮮的水果。 What Did You